GNI vs Life Expectancy

Inquiry: Does the GNI per capita of a country affect the average life expectancy?
Hypothesis: I believe there will be a direct correlation between the GDP and average life expectancy, however I think things such as recession, and geographic location may also have an effect on the results.
Countries I've decided to analyze:
Australia, Austria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ethiopia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Niger, Peru, Samoa, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Zambia
Years I've decided to analyze:
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Using these years will show the bust and boom of the economy to help me factor in recession.
Life Expectancy Data: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN
GNI Per Capita Data: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD

Other thoughts:
- Do GDP and literacy rates correlate?
- Do teen pregnancy rates and literacy rates affect eachother?
- Is there a correlation between
- Do teenpregnancy and GDP correspond?

Basic Graphs:
2005.png2006.png


2007.png2008.png

2005
Mean Age= 69.07 years
Mean GNI= $17596.67
Median Age= 73 years
Median GNI= $4850
r= 0.69087647157058

2007
Mean Age= 69.82 years
Mean GNI= $21130.74
Median Age= 73 years
Median GNI= $7380
r= 0.71004719740019
2006
Mean Age= 69.48 years
Mean GNI= $18773.70
Median Age= 73 years
Median GNI= $5480
r= 0.70231054862859


2008Mean Age= 70.14 years
Mean GNI= $20816.07
Median Age= 73.5 years
Median GNI= $7360r= 0.71876911800637
Note that all of the above graphs have a logarithmic shape and the trend over all four years is the same.

Edited Graphs:
log2008.png
I took the Log of both sets of data and graphed it, note how the correlation is linear.
r =0.83787083071754
This indicates that there is a strong positive correlation

Hidden Variables:

  • Race
  • Climate
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Cost of Living
  • Recession
  • War
  • Disease
  • Political Instability


Conclusion:

My Hypothesis was Correct!
The correlation was a strong positive one, just like I predicted.
However I did not expect a log function.
Overall I find my results to be very accurate, thorough and insightful.